FASHION stars of the future showcased their work in a show at Coleg Gwent on Thursday.

The Cross Keys campus show entitled ‘The Fashion Show: Collective’ saw a year’s worth of work by 35 students from both BTEC fashion and clothing and foundation degree fashion styling courses, collaborating with the performing arts department, creative media and graphics.

Now in its third year, the show saw stunning handmade clothing exhibited in two catwalk shows (evening and matinee) and an exhibition of portfolio work and styled photo shoots.

The catwalk show featured a variety of different themes including headwear, reinvented army coats, and city shorts.

Maria Retter, head of art and design for Cross Keys campus said: “The show has no single theme but students will display items such as original WW1 soldier jackets as part of a section focusing on Help The Heroes where they have ‘upcycled’ them and made them into memorials themselves.

“Other items are part of the shorts project and the shirts project.

“The show is by a mixture of first and second year fashion clothing students and fashion degree students, ranging from 16 years-old to those in their 30s.

“Audience members included university lecturers and industry professionals.

“It helps to give students confidence and skills needed in the profession.”

For second year foundation degree fashion styling student Samantha Driscoll, the Cross Keys campus show provided an authentic experience of the fashion world that she hopes to become part of.

The 22-year-old, from Llanrumney, Cardiff, said: “This event has given us a better understanding of the industry in terms of what it’s like to work on a project from start to finish.

“As well as using our creative and technical skills to create the garments, we’ve worked as a team with students from other departments to organise everything including makeup, models, sound and visuals.”